The Eternal Triangle
by Aurelian Girl
Summary: Two former flames struggling to be apart from each other while also struggling not to betray their current souses.


**The Eternal Triangle:**  
>Kylie was sitting on a bench, waiting for Ryan to arrive. She was crying her eyes out, silently, as the street became desolate.<p>

Finally, Ryan arrived. He was wearing a grey hoody, with 'Shameless Sharpner' written on the back.

"Hey!", he said, as he came near her. His blond hair looked wet.

Kylie kept her head down, her brunette hair covering her face, while she was looking on her lap, saying nothing. She has finally stopped crying. She remained calm for a long time.

"It's Niall!", she mouthed. Ryan remained calm for a long time, before he said anything.

"What happened?", he asked, after heaving a sigh.

"It's not him, Ry! It's me! I'm single-handedly destroying my marriage!", she started sobbing again.

"Oh! What happened?", he repeated himself.

"Do you remember what day it was today? June 25th, our wedding anniversary! I found a beautiful recipe of 'Raspberry Puddle Souffle Cake' from the Internet. I did everything they had said, but I burnt it to cinder! I was upset and angry with myself. Niall came to console me, but for some unknown reasons, I yelled at him and one thing led to another...and I told him that I...I want a divorce!", Kylie trembled, her face wrinkled in remorse and regret.

Ryan heaved a sigh again. He swallowed, before he spoke.

"What did he do then?", Ryan asked.

"He, um, he left. I looked for him everywhere! But...", Kylie cried out, not being able to face Ryan either.

"Go home! He'll be back! Trust me. He always does.", Ryan advised her.

"I know.", she muttered under her breath. "Then why are you still here?", Ryan asked, still not surprised.

"It's just, I can't face him! I-I've hurt him so much! Yet he keeps putting up with all my tantrums! I-I can't face him!", Kylie explained to him.

"Uh...", Ryan didn't know what to say to her. For a long time, they remained quiet. Kylie kept sobbing, while Ryan sat in a distance, not knowing what to say to her.

"Do you remember our first year anniversary?", Ryan suddenly asked her. Kylie looked up for the first time, surprised by his question.

"What?", she looked confused.

"Our first year anniversary? You were 19 and I was 23! We celebrated it with sushi and pasta!", Ryan smiled wryly, trying to remind her.

"I spilled marinara sauce on your T-shirt! You used to be so disgusting that you didn't wash that T-shirt for a week! I had to step in and wash it for you!", Kylie finally smiled, wiping off her tears.

"What about the time we had our first fight? I threw a shoe at you! Your Nike sneakers! Oh my God, I'm so sorry that I did!", she chortled loudly. It echoed throughout the street.

"What about the time we adopted Mayi and Myia? You hated that we adopted two female dogs and no male one! You went ahead and adopted Monty! I was so angry at you that you had to sleep on the couch for two days! Then I forgave you, after Monty licked my nose!", Kylie couldn't suppress her smile.

They were quiet for a long time, before he finally spoke up.

"Do you remember why we broke up?", he asked.

"How can I forget? I cheated on you! I almost slept with my assistant!", Kylie looked down again.

"It's not your fault, actually! I pressured you to marry me, when you were just 21! You just graduated from college! Your parents had got that nasty divorce! Moreover, I made you feel insecure by having late night office with Kara and on long trips with the team. It was never entirely your fault. It takes two!", Ryan tried to make her feel better.

"Still...cheating is cheating. Call a spade a spade, Ryan. I hurt you!", Kylie sobbed again.

"Yes, you did! I trusted you! You broke my trust. I thought...I'll never be happy again! I had even decided to leave Chicago and become a hermit! It took me a year and a half of partying, consumption of alcohol and bar-fights to finally get over you. Then I met Tina! She saved me! I'm with her ever since! I love her a lot! But I...I just couldn't loathe you! It was too much hard work. Finally, I gave up, called you and sorted everything out. You even attended my wedding, with Niall!", Ryan admitted.

"It took me more than two years to get over you. My herds of sisters helped me. I took six jobs, all part time, being a temp, until I met Niall! He's my savior too. He taught me a lot, until he finally surrendered himself to me. The man was suffering from his wife and kids' accident. After he proposed, I immediately said 'yes' to him. But I love him now. A lot. I love him a lot! He might be a bit older than me, but I love him.", Kylie admitted too.

"Do we?", Ryan muttered under his breath.

"Of course we do! Don't we?", Kylie was confused again.

"If we do...then why do we keep coming back to each other? Why do we find solace and peace of mind only in each other, instead of our spouses? Why do we always share good news with each other and try to hide bad things? Why do we feel our days incomplete, if we never call or text each other? Why? Huh? Why?", Ryan was panting now.

"I-I don't know!", Kylie stuttered.

Ryan came closer and snuggled her to him, as they nestled up to each other then. She hid her face in his chest, sobbing quietly, as he kissed her hair.

"Again, I still love you, Ky! Again, I'm still in love with you, truly, madly, deeply! Like crazy!", Ryan whispered to her.

"Again, I know, 'cause I'm also in love with you! I can't tear you off of me! It's like...like cutting a huge portion of my brain! I can't stop loving you, Ry!", Kylie whispered back.

They kept hugging each other like this, until they let go off of each other.

"Again...I can't cheat on Niall! Not after what I'd done to you in the past. The guilt's too fiery to live with. It still burns me, haunts me. I can't hurt him the way I'd hurt you. I'm sorry, Ry.", Kylie's voice quavered.

"Again, I can't cheat on Tina either! The pain of being betrayed is too much! It still aches me! I can't let her go through what I'd gone through! I'm not cruel.", Ryan slowly said.

Kylie stood up, so did Ryan. They hugged each other one last time, before departing for now.

"Go. He's waiting for you. So is Tina, for me.", Ryan encouraged Kylie, also himself.

They both walked away from each other and before vanishing down the corner, they looked back one last time, waving and smiling at each other.

"Cring! Cringgggg!", the phone kept ringing. Niall answered the phone.

"Hello?", he was anticipating this.  
>"Hello, Niall!", he heard Tina's voice on the other side.<br>"Hello, Tina. Yes, she's back. We've sorted everything out. She's sleeping now. What about Ryan?", Niall asked.  
>"He's in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. So...", her voice drifted off. She heard Niall heave a sigh on the other side.<p>

"No, they didn't! They didn't kiss, neither was about to. I saw it! Like the many times previously, they just hugged. Rest assured.", Niall assured her.

"I know that. I just...I've never suspected Ryan of adultery. It's just...I feel guilty, you know! Knowing that they're writhing in pain, pain of being apart from each other, while still deeply in love with each other! After 14 years of their break-up! For God's sake, they were together for only 5 years! I'm with him for 12 years! I'm his wife! His legally wedded wife! He promised! He took a vow to love me always! Then why her? What does she have that I don't? I'm the biological mother of his three kids! Why not me?", Tina broke down.

"I don't know. I still don't know! It's like the Philosopher's stone! Desired but never achieved! She still doesn't look at me the way she looks at him! She loves me. She loves me more than anyone can ever love me! But the irony is...it will never be enough!", Niall heaved a sigh, before responding.

"Then why don't we leave them?", Tina suggested.

"Tina, you and I both know very well why! They will never love us the way they love each other! No matter how much they try to. But let's face it, we need them much more than they need us. You're well aware of the reasons! There's no point saying the same thing. Oh! Kylie's moving. Gotta go. Goodnight.", Niall hung up before Tina could say anything else.

"Hey, honey! You're awake!", Niall asked, as he took his crutches and went to Kylie.

"So are you!", Kylie hugged him, as he lay down beside her.

"Hmm...perhaps you were dreaming about me. You know what they say, if you can't sleep at night, it's because you're awake in someone else's dream!", Niall joked, as he hugged her back.

"I love you so much. I'm so sorry that I hurt you.", Kylie apologized to him, before falling asleep in his lap.

"Trust me, honey. I've hurt you more. Much...much more. I'm still hurting you.", Niall muttered under his breath, before he turned out the light.


End file.
